From the
1950s through the late 1970s few areas of the country boasted a
more dynamic or more exciting popular music scene than Northeast
Ohio and Southwest Pennsylvania. The entire steel belt between
Cleveland and Pittsburgh teemed with brilliant talent, great
bands, and hundreds of clubs and concert venues for music fans
of all ages. Many of the rock era’s most celebrated musicians
spent their formative years in this area.
One of most popular area bands throughout the 70s was
Youngstown, Ohio’s LAW, featuring 21 year old Steve Acker on
guitar and vocals. Acker was the band’s principal songwriter and
on the strength of his songs—and the band’s amazing live
show—LAW was discovered and signed to MCA Records by Roger
Daltrey of The Who. Three albums later the band disbanded.
Acker moved
to Mississippi to re-join his family, who had moved there in
1972, and went on to a successful career in advertising for a
quarter century as a copywriter and broadcast producer. He
produced numerous jingles during this period and continued
writing songs.
On June 29, Acker moved back to his
home in Youngstown, Ohio...after a 32 year absence. Currently he
is in rehearsals with a new band featuring Glass Harp drummer
Phil Keaggy and former Joe Walsh bass guitar player Bill Lohr.
Acker has
performed live only rarely in the last 30 years. Most of his music has been made in his own home studio or
in various recording studios in Nashville, New York, and
Jackson. But he still has the edge and the chops that made him a
legend in Northeast Ohio in the 70s. He's still rockin' and he's
ready to rock audiences in his hometown area again, both as a
member of the band and as a solo acoustic performer.
In addition, Acker now
writes and produces music for recording artists, jingles, and
theme songs for The
Studios @ SST New York City.
With a catalog of
more than 250 songs--both originals and classic favorites in all
genres, Acker could play a three night stand
and never play one song twice. But some of them are worth
repeating, and you can hear those songs, intimately performed by
a man and his guitar, now.
Acker
writes and performs all pop songs of all kinds, but he’s a bluesman at heart, and
man can that white boy sing the blues! His sets are liberally
sprinkled with down home, gritty, blues favorites, as well as
his own touching originals.
To book
Steve for clubs, concerts, weddings and special events call
601-667-7627 or email him at
steve@steveacker.com
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